The North Face Shrapnel Vest - Men's - 2010 BCS

The Shrapnel vest is a good idea: make a down vest without a center zip. I really like mine and the Banana yellow adds some cheer to my jacket collection. I would buy it again, but I wish they would tweak the design a bit.

The front pocket is connected and lined with brushed tricot. The collar has the same lining. The shell is fairly durable and has yet to rip despite several trips through large briar patches. It sheds gentle rain, giving you plenty of time to dig out your rain shell. The hem rises at the sides and drops in the front and rear for added mobility. The side zips top out about an inch below the arm holes and have 2 zippers each so you can fine-tune the amount of venting. On the right shoulder, the embroidery reads "CA-94577." It's the zip code for TNF's headquarters.

Now for the downsides. First, the zip at the neck is not even a quarter zip. It is just long enough for you to fit the vest over your head, so the only way to really dump heat is to use the side zips. If that zipper went down another 4 inches, this vest would get 4 stars. My other caveat is the cut of the vest. The chest and shoulders are great. The armholes are perfect and the length is just fine. However, the lower half of the vest is too baggy. If you've got a bit of a beer belly, you'll be fine. But for fit people, the bottom of the vest is going to hang loose. With the two long side zips, they could have given this a slight taper from shoulder to waist and had a really awesome vest.

I'm 5'11" and weigh 195lb with around 11% bodyfat and the L fits almost perfectly. It could be a little more snug in the torso area but with the extra room it allows you to wear a heavier base layer. Its slim enough that you could wear it under a shell on really cold days. I really dig the side zippers and the fact they zip both ways so they can work as vents. Great piece of gear.

I picked up this vest about two weeks ago and I love it. It's got the look and feel of a puffy, fat vest but on a thinner scale, allowing for use a base layer with a nice snug fit around the neck to keep the chill out. It's a pull over style, so there are zippers at the neck and then on both sides to allow for easy removal. The center pocket is lined and a good size. The dual zippers are handy because I wear this at work all day and when I'm at my desk I can unzip the sides so it doesn't bunch up.

I've worn it pretty much everyday since I've got - it does a great job at keeping my core warm without over heating. I'm a few mouse click away from buying another so I can have a spare if something happens to this one.

Bought this to supplement other clothing. I broke my Hand and this vest is a cinch to put on and take off. Very warm and reliable. Plus it looks hot. However, front pocket is a touch small.

This vest adds a surprising amount of warmth for not a lot of bulk. Tried out few a low fill goose down vests before I decided to go w/ this vest, they were lighter and slightly lower profile when packed, but not nearly as warm and seemed like they would be less durable and higher maintenance. Construction seems pretty high quality.

The handwarmer pocket is nice but maybe a little small. While I'm not completely wild about the pullover style from a functional perspective, it does give it a different look. The double side zips are a key feature IMO, they allow for slightly easier on/off (still have to take off your helmet/goggles though), and can be set up to allow for extra heat dumpage and pass through access to hand pockets on your mid layer w/o flapping around. I also really like the neck on this vest, it has a nice soft brushed micro-fleece lining, doesn't feel at all restrictive when zipped up in locked down mode but still does a good job of keeping out the wind.

Cut is relatively generous but doesn't seem to bunch up/tent/etc. XXL, extra bulky and gi-normous hoodies fit under my XL version of this vest w/ zero bunching. You might be safe to size down if you only plan on using a base and mid layer that have a more athletic fit underneath, but YMMV.

About the only things I might ask for in way of improvement is zipper pulls (easy enough to add these on my own though) and maybe a chest pocket w/ a cable passthrough.

How clever. Makes one feel tough. Wish we had these in Afghanistan.